{"id":24610,"date":"2026-08-13T15:50:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T13:50:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sanmames.athletic-club.eus\/?p=24610"},"modified":"2026-08-13T15:57:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T13:57:11","slug":"kevin-keegan-legacy-legend-ac-museum-san-mames","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sanmames.athletic-club.eus\/en\/blog\/kevin-keegan-legacy-legend-ac-museum-san-mames\/","title":{"rendered":"Kevin Keegan: the legacy of a legend comes to the AC Museum"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Kevin Keegan holds a special place in the history of European football. He won two consecutive Ballon d\u2019Or awards and enjoyed a brilliant career at clubs such as Liverpool, Hamburg, Southampton and Newcastle United, and the former English player also made his mark at San Mames.<\/strong> His legacy is now part of Athletic Club\u2019s heritage<\/strong>, as a number of items linked to him are preserved at the AC Museum, where visitors can find out what connected one of the world\u2019s greatest football stars to the \u2018Cathedral\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kevin Keegan and Athletic Club: two memorable meetings at San Mames <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The relationship between Kevin Keegan and Athletic Club<\/strong> was forged through two unforgettable chapters on the pitch in Bilbao. The first major encounter took place on 23 March 1982, when the English star took to the field at San Mames as captain of the England national team in a match held in honour of Txetxu Rojo. That thrilling match ended in a 1\u20131 draw, with Keegan demonstrating his goal-scoring instincts by scoring England’s only goal in the 37th minute, in response to Sarabia’s earlier goal, in front of a crowd that was cheering on both stars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Years later, on 1 November 1994, the long-awaited reunion took place on the same pitch. This time on the bench, as manager of a brilliant Newcastle United side in the UEFA Cup round of 32, Keegan experienced the intensity of the \u2018Cathedral\u2019 on a magical European night. Having won 3\u20132 in the first leg in England, Athletic staged a historic comeback, winning 1\u20130 in Bilbao to seal their place in the next round thanks to the away goals rule. Far from making excuses, Keegan demonstrated his great sportsmanship at the end of the match by stating that they had been beaten by \u201celeven true Basque warriors\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An icon of world football: from Anfield to the European elite <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Keegan\u2019s career as a footballer and manager was a vital part of the history of the beautiful game. Between 1971 and 1977, the striker reached the pinnacle of his career with Liverpool, scoring 100 goals and winning three English league titles, one European Cup, one FA Cup and two UEFA Cups. After moving to Hamburg SV in Germany, he honed his tactical skills and went on to win his two Ballon d\u2019Or awards, before captivating the fans at Southampton and Newcastle United, a club with which he shared a symbiotic relationship that he would later carry over to the Premier League dugouts and the England national team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kevin Keegan’s milestones at San Mames and in football<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n